Stuck In The Middle
by angel-flame
Summary: John is hospitalised with a broken leg. To pass the time, Grandma gives him a diary to write down his thoughts in ...


Summary: John has been hospitalised with a broken leg. His grandmother gives him a notebook to write his feelings in, believing it will help him … From John's P.O.V. 

**************************

Well. 

How do I start this? 

This is Grandma's idea. She thinks that if I "write out my feelings" it will help the 'healing process'. 

Yeah right. 

But I'd better make an effort … if there's one thing I do NOT want it's an angry Grandma on the war path with me as the goal!! 

So … how did I get here? Where is 'here'? 

It all began on a sunny day on Tracy Island … Scott had been up on Thunderbird 5 for a month to allow Alan and I some time to be together, as we had barely seen each other since International Rescue started, and Dad had taken Virg with him to pick Scott up and return him to Earth in Thunderbird 3. The Tracy's would have a family lunch – all in the same room for the first time in years – and then I would leave again. In a few hours, I would be back in space … and I couldn't wait. Sure, I missed my little brother – but _man_ he can be a pain sometimes. 

… 

_… _

A loud scream broke through the quiet of Tracy Island. John started, looking up from his book, and heard a door open and shut – twice – followed by a loud "GORDON!" 

Oh Gordo,_ John thought wearily_, what have you done to upset Alan now? _He guessed it was related to Tin-Tin – the scream had sounded a lot like her voice – and if there was one thing sure to upset Alan, it was Gordon playing practical jokes on Tin-Tin. His affection for the girl was no secret. _

_John listened – mildly amused – to the following exchange. _

_"Why on Earth did you do it, Gordon? You know she hates them!" _

_John realised he had been wrong. Alan wasn't upset. He was furious. _

_Gordon must have realised this also, as he made an effort to pacify Alan, saying "Hey, it was just a joke, OK?" _

_John winced. _Wrong thing to say, Gordo_, he thought. _

_"A joke?! You frightened the living daylights out of her, Gordon." _

_"Hey, Al, calm down." _

_"Don't you dare patronise me – you get back in there and apologise right now, you –" Alan followed this with a string of curses that astonished John both in their length and their content. He had no idea Alan was so well versed in curses, and resolved to ask him about it later. _

_However, as he dragged his mind back to the present, he realised that it was time to intervene, as the conversation outside was starting to sound extremely heated. His father would not be impressed with Gordon or Alan. He didn't mind bickering or mild arguments, but swearing and violence were two things he would not tolerate amoung his sons. _

_"What's going on out here?" John asked as he entered the hallway. _

_"You heard?" Gordon said, edging away from Alan. _

_"Bit hard not to. So …?" _

_Alan shot a withering glare at Gordon, before saying to John, "Gordon thought it would be _funny_ to put a spider in Tin-Tin's cupboard … not doubt _forgetting_ that she has arachniphobia since being jumped by a spider in the forest." _

_John looked at Gordon with raised eyebrows. Gordon shrugged. "I said sorry. I didn't mean to hurt anyone." He sounded a little put out at Alan's reaction. Alan raised a fist and John grabbed his arm. _

_John sighed, but spoke before an enraged Alan could gain enough coherency to speak. "OK, Gordon, get in your room now. I said _now_," he reiterated as Gordon moved to protest. _

_Gordon cut the protest off. He definitely did not want to get on John's bad side. For the 'quiet' brother, John had a pretty ferocious temper when provoked … almost as bad as Alan's. _

_Once Gordon had left, John turned to Alan. "If Dad ever heard you talking like that …" he said, leaving the threat open. Alan paled a little, before looking intently at John. _

_"You going to tell him?" _

_"Maybe." John smiled inwardly. He had no intention of telling on his brother … but it would be fun to put the kid through a few hours of hell. Anyway, if Alan was at all logical about it, he would know that none of the brothers _ever_ told on another brother. _

_"Look John –" _

_John grinned. It appeared that Alan was not being logical. "Not now, kid," he said abruptly, hearing a sob from behind Tin-Tin's door. He knocked nervously. "Tin-Tin? You OK in there?" He opened the door gently. _

Tin-Tin was sitting on the floor, knees drawn up to her chest, head on her hands, shaking uncontrollably and sobbing. Alan pushed past John, and in an instant had knelt beside her, and put an arm around her shoulders. "Hey … it's OK, it's gone." 

She sobbed against his chest. As he watched Alan comfort Tin-Tin, John made a mental note to reprimand Gordon … he didn't mind practical jokes, but Gordon had taken it way to far this time. Delibrately exploiting Tin-Tin's deepest fear was not something to be brushed aside as a joke. 

"Now, Tin-Tin, Alan and I are going to check the room, thoroughly, OK? Just to make sure there aren't any others." He offered her a hand. "Come on … we'll take you down to the kitchen; Grandma's sure to have something nice for you." 

She got to her feet rather shakily, sniffling. John smiled at her encouragingly. He and Alan led her down to the kitchen, where Grandma took one look at Tin-Tin's blotchy face and enveloped her in a hug. John and Alan walked slowly back up towards her room, then checked it for more spiders. 

As they left the room, Alan made to go back down the stairs to Tin-Tin, but John caught his arm. "OK, a couple of things, little brother. Firstly – I ever catch you going to hit Gordo like that again and I will belt your sorry ass. Secondly – watch your language. I don't really care, but Dad does, and if he could have heard you today … Thirdly – put in some practice in the simulator. Your landing in Thunderbird 1 yesterday was disgraceful." He saw Alan grin and relax slightly after the third, so he decided some reiteration was needed. "Alan …" 

"Yeah?" 

"I do mean that. You get me?" 

Alan nodded. "Yeah." He turned, and walked off towards the simulater. 

John turned his attention away from his youngest brother, and towards his second youngest. He opened the door of Gordon's room without knocking and walked straight in. 

"John!" Gordo exclaimed. "Uh … you're not still angry are you?" 

"What do you think? You just terrified the living daylights out of Tin-Tin!" John forced himself to calm down. "I'm not kidding, Gordo, that was a low shot. You know perfectly well she hates spiders. Everyone in this house can take your practical jokes. But that wasn't a joke – that was just cruel." 

Gordon's face fell a little, and John wished that it wasn't him having to say this. Damn, Scott, why couldn't you be here? 

"It's OK Gordo, just … don't ever do it again – or else …" 

"You'll what?" Gordon said, with a flash of typical Gordon-bravado. 

"I'll make you wish you'd never been born, kiddo," John said. "Come on." 

"Where to?" 

"Let's go down to the kitchens …" 

Tin-Tin was still in the kitchens when they got there. She was looking better than when John had left her there only a few minutes before, but she still flinched when she saw Gordon. 

"Sorry," he mumbled, trying to avoid looking at Alan, who was glaring malevolently at him, or Tin-Tin, who still looked hurt. Before either could reply – or Grandma could tell Gordon exactly what she thought of him – the emergency klaxon sounded. Gordon tore out of the room, heading straight for the study, with Alan, John, and Tin-Tin close behind. Muttering about the impatience of youth, Grandma followed at a slower pace. 

Brains met them in the study, and started the transmission from Thunderbird 5. Scott's face replaced his portrait; in the background were Virgil and Jeff. 

"We were about to leave when this came through," Scott explained. "An explosion in a hotel in Paris. Fifteen people killed, but 23 are missing, probably still trapped in the building." 

The three youngest brothers of the Tracy clan looked at each other, quarrels forgotten. At last; they had the chance to perform a rescue together. Within minutes, they were in the Thunderbirds and one their way … 

… 

… 

**************************

Author's Note: Let me know what you think … 


End file.
